Arif Virani

[Public Safety, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's contributions to the House; I just do not appreciate the hypocrisy.

What I would say is that assault-style rifles are not used for hunting deer. That is why we are taking them out of circulation. What I would also say with respect to guns and gangs is that if we do not want guns in our society, then we need to regulate the border. That is why we have invested over $390 million into CBSA, the exact amount of money cut by the Conservative Party. The member was not here yet, so I cannot fault him in particular, but I will fault his party for not doing anything to keep our borders safe and to keep guns out of our country.

[Public Safety, October 22nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the fight against organized crime, the fight to protect our youth, is extremely important.

On this side of the House, we invested $390 million to fight guns and gangs. We also invested $28 million in resources for the CBSA and $3.5 million over three years to help Interpol.

[Carbon Pricing, October 22nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is really difficult to take any of this rhetoric seriously. When I was first elected nine years ago, that party used to send cheques to millionaires to help them with the cost of raising their families. That presented two questions. Millionaires would ask me in my riding why they were getting this money, and people of lower income would ask me in my riding why it was getting taxed.

What we did is created a Canada child benefit that is tax-free and means-tested. What we have also done is established a national school food program. If they are really serious about addressing child poverty and family poverty, why do they not get on board?

[Public Safety, October 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ. On this side of the House, we have invested $390 million to fight guns and gangs. We have also increased penalties for certain crimes, such as auto theft. That member voted against that. We have also made it so that bail is not so readily available to people who repeatedly commit serious violent crimes.

These are the changes we have made. We now expect the Province of Quebec to do its share.

[Public Safety, October 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned several times to this member, we have to look at who is responsible for bail. When we made changes to the bail system, it was up to the provinces to implement those changes.

That being said, there needs to be enough space in the courts. There need to be enough Crown prosecutors to examine the files and make the submissions. There also needs to be enough room in the prisons for these people.

If the situations are not clear, then they will indeed have to, as I have said in three words, talk to Legault.

[Innovation, Science and Industry, October 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Monday is Thanksgiving. What do I give thanks for? I give thanks for living in a democracy in which we draw a firm line between the police and politicians. That is a line that the Conservatives are asking us to cross. That is a line that the RCMP has flagged as being crossed as we speak. The RCMP has said, “in a free and democratic society [police independence] ensures that the government cannot direct or influence the actions of law enforcement”. That is a direct quote from the chief commissioner of the RCMP, Mike Duheme. I never thought I would have to say this in the House of Commons, but I wish that, for once, the Conservatives would listen to the cops.

[Democratic Institutions, October 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we have the foreign interference inquiry unfolding. It is a commission that we established on this side of the House. We had the minister testify as to this very issue at the foreign interference commission. He indicated that when he was presented with the warrant, he addressed it promptly.

[Democratic Institutions, October 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, for Canadians watching, I will say quite clearly that we take foreign interference extremely seriously on this side of the House. That is why we have a foreign interference inquiry unfolding before Canadians' eyes as we speak. That is why ministers have been attending it and providing answers and clarity for Canadians.

We will not take lessons from that side of the House about how to conquer and address foreign interference, because this is a priority for our government.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the circumstances that my colleague from the NDP just described are deplorable and reprehensible. We all need to do better as a nation, including all law enforcement members at every level in this country, in addressing anti-indigenous racism and addressing the harms that are caused in interactions between law enforcement and indigenous people on this land. That is work we are committed to doing, in conjunction with the member and all members in this place who see a better vision for a future where reconciliation includes the fight against anti-indigenous discrimination.

[Carbon Pricing, October 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the carbon price is this simple: It brings down pollution and it puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians. It is the single best mechanism known to the market to reduce carbon footprints. In fact, it was a Conservative invention. However, the Conservatives' opposition to it is unsurprising. What is surprising is the complete flip-flop on this position that we have seen from the NDP. When they flip on their principles and abandon supporting carbon pricing, they breed voter cynicism and they send one message to progressive voters, which is that if they want somebody to defend climate action and support attacking pollution, their only option is the Liberal Party of Canada.